Floating capsule for dental handpiece



Nov. 16, 1965 1.v. BORDEN FLOATING CAPSULE FOR DENTAL HANDPIEGE Original Filed May 26, 1959 JNVENTOR. JOHN V. BORDE/v A. Il; 2

R 0 2 m l m m n v Vv United States Patent O P 3,218,028 FLOA'HNG CAPSULE FR DENTAL HANDPIECE .Iohn V. Borden, Ransom, W. Va.

Original application May 26, 1959, Ser. No. 815,884, 110W Patent No. 3,123,338, dated Mar. 3, 1964. Divided and this application May 31, 1963, Ser. No. 289,161

1 Claim. (Cl. 253-2) This application is a division of application Ser. No. 815,884, filed on May 26, 1959, for a Floating Capsule for Dental Handpiece, now Patent No. 3,123,338, granted Mar. 3, 1964.

This -invention relates -to dental drills, Iand particularly to those dental drills employing an air-driven turbine. In dental handpieces of this type, the high speeds at which the rotor is driven are sometimes the cause of unpleasant noise. The structure of this invention provides as its main objective the reduction of this noise by effectively isolating the rotating parts from the handpiece housing.

This main objective is accomplished by providing cushion means between the rotating elements, or the capsule housing when a capsule is used, and the cylindrical casing of the handpiece. In some forms of the invention, this cushion is provided by a film of compressed air, and in others, the cushion or isolating effect is accomplished through the use of uniquely shaped bearings, used in conjunction with a resilient mounting bushing. In still another, it is accomplished through the structure of a uniquely shaped capsule housing and several O-rings.

A further objective of this invention is in the provision of a capsule which does not have its supporting ball bearings compressed in the housing. This freedom from compression results in a longer bearing life.

A still further objective of this invention is in the provision of a capsule having a thin cylindrical casing joining the ball bearings, which arrangement permits the use of a larger air turbine.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a turbine capsule which needs no alignment when inserted into the handpiece.

Further objectives and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description and claim wherein the construction, arrangement and cooperation of the several parts of the handpiece are set forth.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a cross-sectional view of one form of the handpiece having a resilient mounting means;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional View showing a handpiece f this type having a different resilient mounting means;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the ball bearing units suspended on a film of air; and

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the ball bearing units completely supported by an air film.

Referring to FIG. l, the numeral designates a handpiece comprised generally of a cylindrical housing 12 and a handle 14 extending therefrom. The housing 12 is open and screw-threaded at one end 13. Adapted to close the housing is the screw-threaded mating cap 25. The cap 25 is threaded on the outside surface of the annular flange 17 which is of a substantial thickness and presents an interior bearing step 19 to the housing. At the other or lower end of the housing is bottom wall 16. Centrally disposed in the bottom wall is the bur shaft receiving opening 18. The interior surface of the bottom wall 16 is formed with a bearing step 28.

Adapted to lie between bearing steps 19 and 20 is capsule having at its upper and lower ends, ball bearing members 22 and 22. Upper bearing 22 is comprised of inner race 26, ball bearings 28 and outer race 3f). Lower bearing 22 consists of inner race 34, the ball bearings 36 and outer race 38. Note that outer Patented Nov. 16, 1965 races 39 and 38 have outwardly extending flanges 32 and 40 extending therefrom. A cylindrical tubing element 42 is adapted to connect the flanges 32 `and 40 at connecting grooves 44 and 48, which are formed in the flanges 32 and 40 respectively.

The annular mounting bushings and 52 are adapted to isolate the capsule from the housing by resiliently supporting the capsule through flanges 32 and 4f). These resilient bushings have their inner circumference adjacent the outer periphery of the longitudinally extending portions of the races of bearings 20 and 22. Bushing 50 is positioned between the step 19 and the flange 32, and the bushing 52 is positioned between the flange 40 and the step 2t).

It can be seen that the above structure resiliently isolates the capsule itself from the capsule housing. The capsule is also easily placed in the housing yby first insert- 'ing the annular bushing 52 through the top of the casing, then inserting the capsule, then inserting the annular bearing 50, and finally screwing the top 25 into position. This arrangement transmits only a minimum of inwardly directed pressure to the ball bearings. The arrangement also does not interfere with the normal exhaust channels of air escaping from the vicinity of turbine blades.

The assembly for attaching the bur to the rotating assembly is also shown in FIG. 1. A first sleeve 53 is fixedly secured to the turbine unit and has an interior taper 54 along its inner surface, which results in a gradually reducing diameter from the bottom to the top of the sleeve. A second bur-receiving sleeve 55 is of a hollow cone-shape and has an outside taper 56 substantially matching, but of a progressively greater diameter than the taper 54. The sleeve has a plurality of slits 57 along its lower portion. When a bur is inserted into the sleeve 55 it frictionally engages the sleeve interior and the sleeve is progressively forced into enagagement with sleeve 53. If the bur becomes lodged so tightly Within the sleeve that it cannot be pulled out by hand, a rod or punch may be inserted through the air exhaust aperture in cap 25 to force the sleeve downwardly, which will loosen its grip on the bur. Inward-ly extending fiange 21 of the housing 12 creates a shoulder to retain sleeve 53 in the handpiece.

FlG. 2 shows another means of resiliently mounting a capsule within la capsule housing. The housing 68 is comprised generally of the cylindrical member 62 and the cap 63. The cap 63 is comprised of top 64 and the threaded flange 65. The cylindrical member 62 is tapered inwardly near its bottom at 66 and then merges with bottom 68 which has a centrally disposed bur-receiving opening 70.

The cylindrical member 62 is screw-threaded along its interior surface at its upper end 72 to mate with the exterior threads 74 on the flange 65 of cap 63. The fiange along its interior surface, has a taper 67, and the top 64 has an air exhaust port 76 centrally disposed therein.

The capsule consists of a cylindrical casing 80, closed at either end by the top and bottom bearing support members 82 and 84. The member 82 is an annular ring having a step 86 along its periphery to receive the casing 80, and a Flange 88 extending upwardly from the rings upper surface to form a seat for the upper ball bearing 9i). The lower support member 84 is shown integral with the casing Si). Member 84 is an anular ring having a flange 92 extending downwardly from its lower surface to form a seat for the lower ball bearing 91.

In their opposed positions, the ring 82 and the flange 88 form a chamber with the taper 67 of the cap in which a resilient O-ring 94 is disposed. The ring 84 and its flange 92 form a chamber with the taper 66 in which a resilient O-ring 96 is disposed.

It can be seen that with the unit assembled as shown enlaces in PEG. 2 the only point of support between the capsule and the housing is through the O-rings 9d and 95. The degree of firmness in which the capsule may be held is also adjustable by the amount the cap 64 is threaded into the housing. lt should also be noted that the ball bearings are of a conventional nautre. Again, there is very little inwardly ldirected pressure against the ball bearing units.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown another novel way of isolating the rotating elements from the handpiece housing. This structure takes advantage of the fastmoving air which is being expelled from the vicinity of the air turbine.. rhe various elements in the FlG. 3 are not necessarily in capsule form, but may be arranged in the handpiece housing either individually or in capsule form.

The rotating structure is enclosed in an open-top housing itl@ having a bottom 162 with a centrally disposed shaft-receiving opening tid. A bur shaft ille is adapted to be removably mounted in a plastic sleeve M7 which is, in turn, mounted in sleeve N9 which is attached to turbine lill. The sleeve T59 is secured to lower ball hearing H2, upper ball bearing lid, and the air turbine ltd. In this embodiment the bearings and the entire rotating mechanism are so dimensioned that, when assembled, they are spaced slightly from the housing itl@ as shown at itil.

The outer race of the lower bearing is formed with an inwardly directed flange le which extends inwardly to partially blocl; the normal exhaust air flow through the raceways of bearing M2. rthat portion of the air which normally would escape through the raceways will be partially dellected into space 191, and exhaust itself through the top and bottom of the housing. The speed and pressure of the air traveling through this space will form a lm of compressed air which will support the entire rotating mechanism. It can be seen that the rotating mechanism will then have no metal-to-metal contact with the handpiece housing Kill. This butler Zone aids greatly in reducing the noise which ordinarily develops between the casing and the rotating parts, and deadens any noise developing in the rotating parts themselves.

As shown in FIG. 3, neither of the outer races of the ball bearings is held in iixed relationship with the hous ing. However, either the upper or lower outer race can be held stationary while utilizing an air bearing for the other.

It can also be seen that with this structure, the rotating elements are not mounted to the housing in any critical position. This novel feature completely eliminates the alignment procedures which normally must be done in handpieces of this type.

As best seen in HG. 4, a space 12) may also be provided between the bur shaft sleeve and the inner race of the bearings, if desired. This will produce a thin ilm of compressed air between the rotating shatt sleeve and the ball bearing units. When using this feature, space 101 may be retained as shown in llG. 3, or the outer race may be secured to the casing. Again, one of the bearings may have its outer race secured to the housing if desired.

rthe FIG. 4 embodiment, then, teaches a rotating mechanism which utilizes air escaping from the turbine `to produce an air bearing between the yballs and the raceways, between the bearings and the housing, and also between the bearings and the rotating shaft. The raceways literally oat in the compressed film of air that is developed in the confined escape paths of the air in the handpiece. To obtain the required amount of pressure to perform these functions, it is sometimes necessary to direct some of the air normally exhausted through the handle of the handpiece, to the bearing areas. Various methods of obtaining this pressure will be obvious to those sk illed in the art.

ln a general manner, while l have, in the above description, disclosed what I deem to be practical and efcient embodiments of my invention, it should be well understood that l do not wish to be limited thereto, as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing from the principle of the presentinvention as comprehended within the scope of the accompanying claim.

l claim:

A dental handpiece comprising in combination, a cylindrical housing, a cylindrical capsule contained within the housing, said capsule .being spaced concentrically radially inwardly from the inner wall of the housing and containing an air-driven turbine rotor and having an antifriction bearing at each end to support the rotor in the capsule, said housing having an opening at one end through which said capsule may be slidably removed and having an end wall at the other end, a cap threadedly attached to the housing to close said opening, said capsule having an annular concentrically arranged portion projecting axially outward at each end, a resilient O-ring surrounding each of said projecting portions, the inner face of the cap and the inner face of said end wall of the housing each having inwardly directed concentric concave surfaces bearing against said O-rings respectively to yieldingly mount said capsule in said housing.

References Cited by the Examiner UNlTED STATES PATENTS KARL I. ALBRECHT, Primary Examiner.

iGSEPl-l E. BRANSON, IR., Exmuner.

r "et sessi. 

